小説を読みながら、語彙を増やしましょう。
夏目漱石の小説『坊っちゃん』の原文と毛利八十太郎が英訳した “Botchan (Master Darling)” を併せて見ていきます。
【あらすじ】
下女の清（きよ）は、母親を亡くした主人公を溺愛し、彼の父親や兄に内緒でいろいろな物を渡して甘やかそうとします。
●----------------------------------------------------------
When Kiyo gave me anything she did so always when both father and brother were out. Many things I do not like, but what I most detest is the monopolizing of favors behind some one else's back. Bad as my relations were with my brother, still I did not feel justified in accepting candies or color-pencils from Kiyo without my brother's knowledge. "Why do you give those things only to me and not to my brother also?" I asked her once, and she answered quite unconcernedly that my brother may be left to himself as his father bought him everything. That was partiality; father was obstinate, but I am sure he was not a man who would indulge in favoritism. To Kiyo, however, he might have looked that way. There is no doubt that Kiyo was blind to the extent of her undue indulgence with me. She was said to have come from a well-to-do family, but the poor soul was uneducated, and it could not be helped. All the same, you cannot tell how prejudice will drive one to the extremes. Kiyo seemed quite sure that some day I would achieve high position in society and become famous. Equally she was sure that my brother, who was spending his hours studiously, was only good for his white skin, and would stand no show in the future. Nothing can beat an old woman for this sort of thing, I tell you. She firmly believed that whoever she liked would become famous, while whoever she hated would not. I did not have at that time any particular object in my life. But the persistency with which Kiyo declared that I would be a great man some day, made me speculate myself that after all I might become one. How absurd it seems to me now when I recall those days. I asked her once what kind of a man I should be, but she seemed to have formed no concrete idea as to that; only she said that I was sure to live in a house with grand entrance hall, and ride in a private rikisha.
detest ひどく嫌う
monopolize 独占する
unconcernedly 平気で、のんきに
partiality 部分的であること、不公平
obstinate 頑固な
indulge in …にふける、耽溺する
favoritism 偏愛、えこひいき
undue 過度の、はなはだしい
indulgence 甘やかし
prejudice 偏見、先入観
studiously 勉学に励んで
persistency 固執、しつこさ
speculate 憶測する
absurd こっけいな、ばかばかしい
concrete 具体的な
rikisha 人力車
夏目漱石による原文はこちら。
＊＊＊ 慣用句を覚えよう ＊＊＊
Fox（狐）
do not know a fox from a fernbush
何も知らない
The fox is known by its brush.
人それぞれに特徴があるもの
When the fox preacheth then beware your geese.
うまい話には乗るな
set the fox to keep the geese
人をうっかり信用して（見誤って）ばかを見る
An old fox is not easily snared.
老いたる狐は用心深い
Every fox must pay his skin to the furrier.
才ある者は才におぼれる
The fox preys farthest from home.
簡単にしっぽをつかまれるようなことはしない
a fox that has lost its tail
人の不幸を願うやつ
crazy like a fox
抜け目のない、海千山千の
play the fox
狡猾にふるまう、うまく立ちまわる
【参考】
▽青空文庫
